Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act of 2025
This bill, titled the Combatting Fentanyl Poisonings Act of 2025, would amend the Omnibus Crime Control and Safe Streets Act of 1968 to create three new grant programs aimed at reducing fentanyl poisonings. Administered by the Attorney General through the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) with input from the Health and Human Services Secretary, the programs would fund: (1) state and local law enforcement efforts to curb unlawful drug sales on social media and to educate various audiences about fentanyl risks; (2) public awareness campaigns run by nonprofits to educate the public about fentanyl dangers (with specific allowable uses such as family speaker programs and naloxone training, but no broad harm-reduction services); and (3) protective measures for law enforcement officers exposed to fentanyl, including testing/detection equipment and naloxone training. The bill also sets aside funding for these grants: $10 million for the social-media-enforcement grants, $3 million for nonprofit public-awareness efforts, and $2 million for officer-protection grants.
Key Points
- 1Grant Program 509(a): Grants to state/local law enforcement to prevent unlawful sale/marketing/distribution of controlled substances via social media, including education/training for school personnel, clinicians, and the public about fentanyl risks and how online drug deals communicate with potential victims; priority on arrests of individuals who use social media to sell drugs.
- 2Grant Program 509(b): Grants to nonprofit organizations to support public education and awareness campaigns on fentanyl dangers; allowable uses include transportation for families of fentanyl deaths, creation/dissemination of educational materials, counseling/mentorship for affected individuals, and naloxone education/training; prohibits funding for most harm-reduction supplies except naloxone-related items; cap of $50,000 per grant; nonprofit status defined (501(c)(3)).
- 3Grant Program 509(c): Grants to strengthen law enforcement officers’ protection from fentanyl exposure; covers equipment for fentanyl testing/detection and overdose reversal (e.g., fentanyl test strips, field-portable detectors, naloxone) and related training.
- 4Funding and authorization: Section 506(a) is amended to reserve specific funding for each grant program—$10,000,000 for 509(a), $3,000,000 for 509(b), and $2,000,000 for 509(c).
- 5Administration and scope: The Attorney General, via the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, administers these grants in consultation with the Secretary of Health and Human Services; applications for 509(a) and 509(b) would follow established grant processes.